“He’s obviously one of the leaders of the club. He does play a massive role in the midfield for us.

“To miss him for a number of weeks is going to hurt but in saying that we’ve got guys who can step in and fill that void. Obviously Matt Rosa on the weekend did prove that. But we’ve got a lot of guys who can come in and cover for Scott.”

To make matters worse for the Eagles, star midfielder Simon Tunbridge has been ruled out for three months following an ankle injury suffered in the win over the Blues.

In other AFL injury news, Gold Coast on Tuesday announced influential skipper Gary Ablett will be out of action indefinitely after yet another shoulder injury setback.

Essendon midfielder David Myers will miss at least 12 weeks of action after it was revealed he requires shoulder surgery.

Myers will undergo surgery on Wednesday after injuring his shoulder in a clash with Sydney Swans forward Kurt Tippett in round one.